"Well written, funny and wistful" - Paul Linford; "He is indeed the Lib Dem blogfather" - Stephen Tall"Jonathan Calder holds his end up well in the competitive world of the blogosphere" - New Statesman"A prominent Liberal Democrat blogger" - BBC Radio 4 Today programme"Charming and younger than I expected" - Wartime Housewife

"The deepening financial crisis in the NHS, proposed funding reforms in education and local government and the expected transfer of new responsibilities to the county council suggest the second half of this period of austerity is going to be even harder than the first.

"Yet now is not the time to despair. It is time to turn things around.

"There are things we can do to change direction and put local residents concerns and needs at the heart of decision making.

"Whether it's by fixing the problems with adult social care, ensuring we have enough adequately qualified foster carers to ensure every vulnerable child has a stable home, or abandoning unpopular plans to install parking meters in our towns, there is much that can be done to improve things in Leicestershire."

As Simon went on to say, the Conservatives are in charge at Westminster and County Hall, so there is no one else they can blame.

Which explains why their strategy for these elections has so far been to resort to insult and abuse:

Leicestershire County Council leader Nick Rushton has described the Liberal Democrats as "slimeballs" in a speech to Tory councillors and candidates.